Poinsettia plant named ‘Eckalysa’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant named ‘Eckalysa’, characterized by its inflorescences with large horizontally-orientated bright red-colored flower bracts; dark green-colored leaves with red-colored petioles; uniform and mounded plant habit; early flowering; and good post-production longevity.

BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION

Euphorbia pulcherrima.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofPoinsettia plant, botanically known as Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd., andhereinafter referred to by the name ‘Eckalysa’.

The new Poinsettia a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Encinitas, Calif. The objective of the breeding programis to create new Poinsettia cultivars having flower bracts withdesirable colors, uniform plant habit and excellent post-productionlongevity.

The new Poinsettia orginated from a cross made by the Inventor of theEuphorbia pulcherrima Willd. cultivar Eckabia, disclosed in U.S. PlantPat. No. 11,229, as the female, or seed, parent, with the Euphorbiapulcherrima Willd. cultivar 559, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,773,as the male, or pollen, parent. The cultivar Eckalysa was discovered andselected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of thestated cross in a controlled environment in Encinitas, Calif., inDecember, 1996. The selection of this plant was based on its attractiveflower bract colors and good plant form and substance.

Asexual reproduction of the new Poinsettia by terminal cuttings taken atEncinitas, Calif., since January, 1998, has shown that the uniquefeatures of this new Poinsettia are stable and reproduced true to typein successive generations of asexual reproduction.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Eckalysa’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Eckalysa’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Inflorescences with large horizontally-orientated bright red-coloredflower bracts.

2. Dark green-colored leaves with red-colored petioles.

3. Uniform and mounded plant habit.

4. Early flowering, natural season flower maturity date is December 1for plants grown in Encinitas, Calif.; response time, about 9 weeks.

5. Good post-production longevity.

Plants of the new Poinsettia can be compared to plants of the femaleparent, the cultivar Eckabia. In side-by-side comparisons conducted inEncinitas, Calif., plants of the new Poinsettia differed primarily fromplants of the cultiavr Eckabia in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Poinsettia were more vigorous and less compact thanplants of the cultivar Eckabia.

2. Leaves of plants of the new Poinsettia were darker green than leavesof plants of the cultivar Eckabia.

3. Plants of the new Poinsettia flowered about one week earlier thanplants of the cultivar Eckabia.

Plants of the new Poinsettia can be compared to plants of the maleparent, the cultivar 559. In side-by-side comparisons conducted inEncinitas, Calif., plants of the new Poinsettia differed primarily fromplants of the cultivar 559 in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Poinsettia were broader than plants of the cultivar559.

2. Plants of the new Poinsettia had shorter leaf petioles than plants ofthe cultivar 559.

3. Flowers bracts of plants of the new Poinsettia were larger thanflower bracts of the cultivar 559.

4. Plants of the new Poinsettia flowered about one week earlier thanplants of the cultivar 559.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new Poinsettia, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors ofthe new Poinsettia.

The top photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typicalflowering plant of ‘Eckalysa’ grown in a 16.5-cm container.

The lower photograph is a close-up view of typical leaves and flowerbracts of ‘Eckalysa’ (left) and ‘559’ (right).

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The new Poinsettia has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength and lightintensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The aforementioned photographs, following observations and averagedmeasurements describe plants grown in Encinitas, Calif. during thewinter under commercial practice in a polyethylene-covered greenhousewith day temperatures about 24° C., night temperatures about 19° C., andlight levels about 4,000 foot-candles. Single plants were grown in16.5-cm pots and pinched once. Plants were flowered under natural seasonshort day/long night conditions. Plants were about 18 weeks fromunrooted cuttings when the photographs and the detailed botanicaldescription were taken.

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used.

Botanical classification: Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. cultivarEckalysa.

Parentage:

Female parent.—Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. cultivar Eckabia, disclosedin U.S. Plant Pat No. 11,229.

Male parent.—Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. cultivar 559, disclosed inU.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,773.

Propagation:

Type cutting.—Terminal cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—About 10 days at 20 to 22° C.

Time to develop roots.—About 28 days at 20 to 22° C.

Root description.—Thick, fibrous and freely-branching.

Plant description:

Plant form.—Inverted triangle, top of plant rounded and mounding.

Growth habit.—Upright and uniform plant habit. Moderate vigor.

Plant height.—About 28 cm.

Plant diameter or spread.—About 32 cm.

Lateral branch description.—Quantity: About five lateral branchesdevelop after pinching. Length: About 23.5 cm. Diameter: About 7 mm.Internode length: About 1.75 cm. Color: 146A.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate, single. Quantity of leavesper lateral branch: About nine. Length: About 12.2 cm. Width: About 11cm. Shape: Elliptic with irregular lobing. Apex: Acuminate. Base: Acute.Margin: Entire with irregular lobing. Venation pattern: Pinnate.Texture: Upper surface: Glabrous. Lower surface: Slightly pubescent.Surface: Slightly puckered. Color: Young and fully expanded foliage,upper surface: 147A. Young and fully expanded foliage, lower surface:147B. Venation, upper surface: 147B. Venation, lower surface: 147D.Petiole: Length: About 4 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm. Color: 183A.

Inflorescence description:

Inflorescence type and habit.—Inflorescences are compound corymbs ofcyathia with colored flower bracts subtending the cyathia.Inflorescences are not fragrant. Inflorescences persistent.

Natural flowering season.—Autumn/winter in Nothern Hemisphere. Flowerinitiation and development is induced under long nyctoperiod conditions.Response time, about 9 weeks; natural season flower maturity date isDecember 1 for plants grown in Encinitas, Calif.

Post-production longevity.—Plants of the new Poinsettia maintain goodsubstance and bract color for about three to four weeks under interiorconditions.

Quantity of inflorescences per plant.—One per lateral branch, aboutfive.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 34 cm. Height (depth): About 4 cm.

Flower bracts.—Quantity of flower bracts per inflorescence: About 24.Length, largest bracts: About 17.5 cm. Width, largest bracts: About 9.2cm. Shape: Elliptic with irregular lobing. Apex: Acuminate. Base: Acute.Margin: Entire with irregular lobing. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:Glabrous, velvety. Surface: Slightly rugose. Orientation: Mostlyhorizontal to slightly drooping. Color: Developing or transitionalbracts, upper surface: Irregular and random areas of brighter than 46Aand 147A, then becoming mostly brighter than 46A. Developing ortransitional bracts, lower surface: Irregular and random areas of 46Band 147B, then becoming mostly 46B. Fully developed bracts, uppersurface: 46B to 46C; color does not fade with subsequent development.Fully developed bracts, lower surface: 51A. Venation, upper and lowersurfaces: Same as ground color. Bract petiole: Length: About 3 cm.Diameter: About 2 mm. Color: 53A to 53B.

Cyathia.—Quantity: About 18 per corymb. Diameter of cyathia cluster:About 3 by 4 cm. Length: About 1.6 cm. Width: About 7 mm. Shape: Ovoid.Color: Immature: 144A. Mature: 144B to 144C. Peduncle: Length: About 3.5mm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Aspect: Strong, erect. Color: 144B. Stamens:Stamen number: More than 20 per cyathium. Anther shape: Oval. Antherlength: Less than 1 mm. Anther color: 59A. Amount of pollen: Scarce.Pollen color: 12B. Pistils: Pistil number: One per cyathium. Pistillength: About 1 cm. Stigma shape: Six-parted. Stigma color: 46A. Stylelength: About 4 mm. Style color: 144B. Ovary color: 144B. Nectarynumber: One per cyathia. Nectary color: 23A.

Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common toPoinsettias has not been observed on plants grown under commercialconditions.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant named‘Eckalysa’, as illustrated and described.